You may want to look in an area with better climate and less Mosquitos , like on the foothills of some mountains somewhere . I realize you will have solar panels but if I were going to go totally green , I would only use a panel for a light at night .

Plus you may want to find a place near clean running water incase you ever want to bathe . South Louisiana offers none of the above .

If your dead set on doing this in this area you can check down bear island rd towards the end , in maurepas La. There are people that have been living green for quite some time now down there , and I'm sure they could give you some pointers .

Moving far away from New Orleans is not an option at this time.

As long as I have access to water (any kind of water), clean running water for baths and showers is actually the least of my problems as it is the easiest to solve. I can cheaply build a passive solar water heater such as this one http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/solar-water-heater-zm0z12fmzphe.aspx. Filters to clean the water and an on demand pump or gravity fed system can be used for the overhead shower.

Why would you only use a solar panel at night? Going green doesn't mean giving up use of electricity, it just means producing your electricity in a Eco friendly way so you are not dependent on 'the system' that robs you of your money and contributes to world pollution. As long as the energy is free from the Sun and doesn't pollute, that's pretty darn green IMO.

There are people who 'live off the grid' with no resources like hippies that do drugs and drink themselves to death. This is Not real off the grid living. In my house, we would have all modern conveniences. You would not know you were in an off the grid home unless I told you. That's what you strive for.

I'll look into the Bear Island Rd folks, Thank You.

In the meantime folks, please post any info you have, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Hey, solar panels are close to nothing right now at least until Bobby Jindal removes the 50% rebate for the people of LA. With 50% rebate from the state of La and 30% from the federal government; now is the time to get a solar system installed.

Can you tell me more about this tax or have any links? I have searched this concept and have come up with a variety of definitions for it. I don't know which one you are referring to. Thanks.

try st charles parish.

very, very few people could even attempt this, these days, unless they are alone with no wife or kids!!! if i was alone, would i like this, yes absolutly!!!!

Another great source of power would be hydropower. A good steady stream of water would supply you with a source of constant energy.

I did do some research on hydropower and it turns out you can get solar for about the same price or cheaper these days with lower maintenance costs. You are right though, Hydropower would be another good source. Since all these technologies feed battery banks and recharge them, you could have hydro, solar and wind together to be sure you never get low enough to be without power.

I'm also looking at low tech power like using the sun and a Frensel lens to cook with as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScrpZ1jwIkk Solar Powered Bikini Linear Fresnel Lens Cooking a Bean Burrito

More like this from http://www.greenpowerscience.com/ - It's full of cheap DIY Free Energy methods you can make and use in a camp of off the grid application.

Water power isn't much of an option around New Orleans. That is better suited for mountainous streams than bayou's and rivers that periodically flood. Wind energy is another option you might look into. It isn't as practical here because La. is one of the worst wind energy places in the world. But if you get prolonged clouds it might help keep the lights on. Insulation of your house is going to be very important in stretching you power use.

The coastal parts of LA do provide enough wind to turn the wind mill, but it does take a lot of force to turn the blades. The windmill also has to be about 50 feet higher than the highest trees in the area. And usually there isn't a enough wind after dark to turn the blades unless a front/storm is moving through. Solar of course will only provide energy if the sun is shining. Hydropower provides power 24 hours a day. A combination of solar and hydro will provide power 24/7. Some completely of the grid folks will have a generator to use at night to re-charge the battery bank when needed. A spring that shoots out the side of a hill above a creek will provide a lot of hydropower. Unfortunately all of this costs a lot of money. Battery banks are 10K-30K+ and must be replaced about every 8-10 years or sooner if they are not maintained properly. This is the bad part about battery banks--expense. Right now there is an incentive with the State of LA and the fed government offering 80% back on solar systems which includes the battery bank if you choose to purchase one of those as well. I understand that the 50% rebate checks for solar systems will stop in early 2013, but the 30% tax credit will continue from the feds. Doing this will just about make the purchase of solar cost prohibitive for most folks.
I choose a solar system that will provide my home with $200.00/month of electricity and will be on net metering meaning that since I work during the day my meter will spin backwards providing power back to the grid because my home will not need most of the power produced by the solar panels if I am not home. In the evening when my need for power is increased I can use what I have banked during the day and more if needed. Instead of an expensive battery bank, I choose a whole house generator in the event of power failure. My solar panels are installed and I am waiting on them to be tied into my new home as soon as it is ready--about 2 more weeks. My panels are on my shop and the power produced will be supplied to my home by a buried cable, so no panels on my home.
I decided to install solar strictly as an investment not because of a green movement although solar energy is nice. These tax incentives include the grid that the panels have to be installed on and since I chose a new metal shop roof my cost of solar will be ZERO since the current incentives allow 80% of the included grid to be included in the rebate and the tax credit. So my total cost for the solar panels that produce $200.00/month of energy on my Entergy account costs 20% of the cost of my metal shop. These solar panels have a 30 year warranty with a guarantee to produce the energy stated. Another added bonus is that the solar system is not included in my property tax either!!

Thanks for the info.

I don't know if I will be in a coastal area, or if I will have a stream on my land for hydro.

I don't see how you get 10k or over just for the batteries themselves. I can buy a pack of 10 deep cycle solar batteries for 100 dollars each. If I go with regular lead acid as opposed to gel or AGM then I can rebuild/recharge them after they die. Normally batteries can last for 8 to 10 years from what I've read so that's not a big expense. I'll only need the battery power at night for small lights during the day my place will be lit by sunlight. I'll also need it for two laptops and a refrigerator and perhaps a small ac window unit or swamp cooler. (for the wife LOL)

A generator isn't really my style, nor is propane appliances. Gas and propane is not an expense I want to deal with.

All I can do right now is estimate my usage based on what I think I'm going to need. Rule of thumb is oversize this by 50% so you can have a buffer.

I won't be taking advantage of any tax breaks because I don't currently make enough to pay taxes (my share of the money for this project is from a land sale that is jointly owned by several family members - CVS is buying our property to make a CVS store. I imagine that will get taxed right off the bat) so I'm going to use solar panels that I make myself (this can be done for a dollar a watt) and some types of systems can be bought for 50 cents a watt) You can even buy broken solar PV material for dirt cheap because the break doesn't effect the functioning of the solar PV. There are tons of ways to get solar for next to nothing compared to buying a full consumer system. Lets say I need 4000 watts, I could have it and a battery bank for 3 thousand dollars. Thats my understanding anyway unless I'm missing something. I won't use anyone to install, I can do the install myself.

Yes John, there are ways to making your own solar system and battery bank. Of course there are many more things to consider with a solar set up. Of course you will need an invertor to power any ac appliance. The rebate and the credit are exactly that. Only a professionally installed system with a licensed solar electrician will qualify for these tax incentives. The serial numbers from the panels and invertors must be turned in a special form. If you don't owe any taxes to the feds then a 30% credit/refund will be issued. State of LA is a rebate check. A professional install is also warranted for 30 years.

Mold and mildew will be a big problem so a dehumidifier should be used if no climate control system is used.

I am 'built for comfort' and although I can hang with the best roughing it in the outdoors for a length of time, I love my creature comforts as well. I like being able to flip a switch and have all the lights, heat, cool, clothes washed and dryed, dishwasher, well water, security lights, fresh hot coffee from a coffee maker, and cooking any food I wish.....all when I want it, not just when the sun is shining. I guess most of all I enjoy just knowing I can take a shower and be clean when I want to. I would hate to have to build a fire every morning to boil water for my coffee, especially in the middle of summer. But this is me, not you.

Again, my solar is being installed as an investment and not as a way of life. Of course if and when the SHTF, I want to be ready for that as well.

i would have to agree with choupique man, get away from the mosquitoes and gnats b4 u try it!!!!